Internal Communications
by BizzyLizzy
Summary: Threshold find a new infectee who is different from most and could hold the key to defeating the alien threat.
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first Threshold fic, hope you enjoy._

**Part one**

'What have you got?' Cavennaugh spoke quietly as they swept through the warehouse. They had already turned up a number of dead and grossly distorted bodies and were aware that several people had made their escape the moment they had entered the building. A few had been stunned and contained and were being transported securely to Threshold HQ for further tests and questioning.

'There's someone else alive here, sir,' Robinson advised him from the opposite side of the building. 'They're coming this way.'

'Keep your eyes open, gentlemen,' Cavennaugh gave the order as the net began closing in. 'We don't want to let another live one get away.'

No-one spoke as the search parties on both sides of the warehouse drew the net tighter until there was only one possible place for the fugitive to be: at the end of a dimly lit row of shelving units.

Signalling Robinson and Jameson to move to the other end of the units, Cavennaugh positioned himself at his end, shining a torch to provide some illumination and was rewarded with the sight of a figure trying to make itself as small as possible.

'FBI, come out with your hands behind your head,' Cavennaugh called out, his gun trained on the figure, following its every movement. Instead of obeying, the figure stood up, revealing itself to be a woman holding a gun.

'No!' The woman yelled at him, the hand holding the gun shaking. As Cavennaugh made his way towards her holding his own gun steady she began to back away, completely unaware of the two men coming up behind her. A hand closed over the gun in her own hand and she whirled around, lashing out and breaking free though leaving the weapon behind. In that instant of distraction, Cavennaugh grabbed her, snapping the handcuffs on her wrists.

'You can either walk or we can pick you up and carry you,' Cavennaugh advised her. 'I would advise you to co-operate though, everything will be much pleasanter if you do.'

'How do I know you're not one of _them_,' she snapped as she struggled to free herself from his grip.

'I already told you we were FBI.' One of the Agents flashed his ID so she could see it.

'How do I know that? They all seemed normal when I first saw them. You might change, just like they did.'

Before Cavennaugh could respond, a terrified look came over her face as she saw something behind him. He whirled around, trying to see what had scared her so badly but could see nothing. As he turned back in confusion, a blur caught the corner of his vision and he fired several shots before the figure had chance to reach them.

'How did you know?' Cavennaugh asked.

'I don't know, I just knew he was there. It was the same with the others, I knew they were coming and was able to hide from them. It didn't always work though, sometimes there were too many of them and I had to shoot them before I could get away. They didn't die, but it gave me time.'

'I see.' Cavennaugh didn't understand but knew that this could be one of the missing links they had been searching for. 'You're going to have to come with us.'

'Why?'

'It's a matter of national security,' Cavennaugh told her bluntly. 'I'm afraid you don't really have much choice.'

------------

'What's going on?' Molly asked Cavennaugh as Fenway began checking the new arrival in the back of the transport vehicle.

'This is the last one – Linda Reeves according to her ID,' Cavennaugh reported, his eyes never leaving the scene in front of him. 'She passed out just before we arrived. I thought she was faking at first, but she was feverish and having difficulty breathing.'

'And you said she was acting differently from the others?'

'Yes. She seems to have some knowledge of what other infectees are about to do. Her reactions when we arrived were unusual as well - she was trying to defend herself, not attack.'

'This could be the breakthrough we've been looking for,' Molly looked thoughtful, turning to Fenway as he finished his initial exam.

'It looks like 'flu,' Fenway stepped back while Linda was secured on a stretcher. 'But there are some other symptoms that I need to check out.'

'Is she infected?' Molly asked.

'She does have low levels of alien DNA in her blood. I'll need to carry out further tests to determine the extent of the infection.'

'We'll need to talk to her as soon as possible – Cavennaugh says she can predict the actions of others who have been infected.'

'Interesting. I'll look into it, and I'll let you know when you can talk to her.'

As soon as the medical team had cleared the area, Molly pulled Cavennaugh to one side.

'What about the other survivors?'

'They should all be in the holding cells right now.'

'Good. And make sure there's extra security with Linda, we can't afford to take any risks.'

'Already on it.'

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'How's she doing?' JT had joined Molly in the med lab where Linda had been taken.

'Her blood has trace elements of the alien DNA and she's showing an increase in theta wave activity which means she was exposed to the signal. It's too early to determine whether she's going to turn into a full-blown infectee,' Fenway reported. 'She does have 'flu but there's also secondary encephalitis. It's not too serious but it's going to be a few days before she starts to improve.'

'I don't suppose it's any use in suggesting she be moved to one of the detention cells?' JT was pretty sure what the answer would be even before Fenway responded.

'No it's not. She needs to stay in the med lab where she can be monitored. Complications can develop very quickly with encephalitis and if we don't catch them early enough, she could suffer from brain damage or die.'

'I know we've been through this before,' JT sounded exasperated. 'But I really think she should be secured now before something can go wrong.'

'Then you should also remember that I don't back down easily,' Fenway snapped back. 'She doesn't pose any immediate danger and unless you want to question a corpse, I suggest you leave her where she is.'

'I'll let it go for the moment, but you'd better make damn sure nothing happens.'

'Linda, my name's Molly Caffrey,' Molly approached the patient who was secured on one of the beds. 'This is JT. We need to ask you a few questions.' Linda looked warily at the two of them, but nodded her agreement.

'Can you tell us what happened before you got to the warehouse?' JT asked.

Linda remained silent for a few moments before responding. 'I'd gone to the pharmacy to get some 'flu medication. There was a crowd of people around the instore TV, it was playing some kind of infomercial. I went to see what was going on but it was just a weird symbol on the screen. I couldn't see what all the fuss was about so I just paid for what I'd got and left.'

'What did the symbol look like?'

'It had three legs, all bent around into a circle.'

'Was there any sound?'

'I heard a buzzing, but then my ears were blocked and I couldn't hear anything properly – I thought it was because of the 'flu.'

'Ok, then what happened?'

'I was on my way home, waiting for the bus, when I felt like I was being followed. I got really nervous and started to walk, to get away from whoever it was, but the feeling stayed with me until I reached the warehouse. I went in, I don't know why, and…they kept coming for me, it was like they knew where I was. Every time I thought I'd lost them, another one would find me. I got a gun off one of them and managed to keep them away and then the FBI turned up.'

'That'll have to do for now,' Fenway interrupted. 'She needs to rest.'

'Hey,' Linda called JT and Molly back as they turned to leave. 'Aren't you going to tell me where I am and what's going on? And I need to contact my family, let them know where I am.'

JT turned back. 'I'm afraid we can't tell you anything right now, it's a matter of national security. We've already contacted your family to let them know you're safe and will be in touch soon.'

'Who the hell do you think you are to go around dictating to people like this? I've got rights, you know, I want to know…' Linda broke off as she found it getting harder to breathe and began to panic.

'I said you should try to remain calm otherwise it would aggravate your symptoms,' Fenway told her bluntly. 'Now, take some slow, deep breaths and I'll give you something to calm you down.'

A few minutes later she was drowsing under the influence of the sedative she had been given.

'You know, she's got a point,' Fenway snapped at JT and Molly as he caught up with them in the control room. 'You can't just spirit people away and tell them nothing.'

'We'll deal with that later,' JT told him coldly. 'Would her ears being blocked be enough to stop her getting the full effect of the signal?'

'Possibly. The clerk's deaf and she wasn't affected at all, but it may simply be too early too tell. I'll do regular blood tests but beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see.'


	2. Chapter 2

Part two 

'What happened?' Molly had been summoned by an urgent call to the detention cells.

'We're not sure, ma'am,' one of the guards on duty told her. 'Ten minutes ago the new detainees began to have convulsions, a few minutes later they were all dead.'

'Dr Fenway?'

'I'm not sure,' he looked puzzled. 'This lot were infected much more quickly than we've seen happen before. It may just be another learning curve for them.'

'You mean they tried to get people infected faster, make it more effective?' JT asked.

'But it didn't work – most of the infectees died soon after they were exposed to the signal, the ones we took alive are now dead as well,' Molly summarised. 'We need to be looking for the ones who got away. The chances are they won't live long either, but we have to be sure.'

'As far as we know, the majority of those exposed so far have died, but there have been some successes,' Fenway said thoughtfully. 'There's obviously some intelligence behind what's going on that allows the signal to be adapted and test different methods of infecting people. This one hasn't worked, but we've no idea what they'll try next.'

'We've located more of this batch of infectees,' Cavennaugh caught up with them as they were leaving the detention block. 'Most are already dead but there are a couple still alive. We'll be ready to leave in twenty minutes.'

Molly nodded an acknowledgement and hurried off to prepare herself, fighting down the feelings of frustration and exhaustion that came from little rest and almost constant action.

-----------

'These definitely look like the same batch,' Fenway confirmed as he briefly examined the bodies. 'The way the bodies are contorted shows they were all affected by convulsions identical to those who died in detention.' He finished up and moved over to where those still alive were being detained.

'I think that's all of them,' Cavennaugh told Molly. 'We got the security tapes from the store and got Lucas and Ramsay to examine them. They did a headcount for us, and including Linda, this lot make up the missing numbers.'

'Ok, let's get them back to headquarters and see what we can learn from them.'

------------

'There's nothing new, I'm afraid,' Fenway reported, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. 'There were four survivors and they're all infected, they're almost as far gone as Janklow and Novak.'

'It's as we thought then,' Molly frowned. 'The infection is acting much more quickly in these people. Are there any notable differences between them and the others we've come across?'

'I should be able to tell you more when I've carried out the autopsies on the ones that didn't make it. I'll let you know as soon as I've found anything.'

-----------

'What have you got?' JT asked as soon as he entered the medlab with Molly.

'You're not going to believe it, but Linda's DNA profile has almost returned to normal,' Fenway reported. 'There's practically no trace of the alien DNA in her system at all. The only indication that she was ever exposed is the elevated theta waves.'

'How is she?' Molly asked, trying to fight down the hope that here was one who just might be able to escape the effects of the alien infection.

'Improving. Fortunately I caught the encephalitis early so she should be up and about in a few days, although she'll need to take it easy for a while. I'm giving her anti-viral medication and Tylenol to treat the symptoms, but other than that I can only monitor for complications.'

'Keep me posted on any changes in her DNA status,' JT told Fenway. 'As soon as she's well enough, we'll need to transfer her to more secure quarters, just in case.'

Fenway looked as though he were about to argue, but closed his mouth again as he realised the futility of doing so. He'd won the last round but knew the next one was out of his hands, instead he returned to his work, muttering to himself under his breath.

'It's hard to believe that just having a temporary hearing impairment could distort the signal enough to minimise its effect,' Molly spoke thoughtfully as she returned to the control room with JT. 'I know it's early days, but this could be the breakthrough we're looking for – if one person can avoid infection following exposure, it could be used to protect others.'

'As you said, it's early days. We still need to treat her as though she were fully exposed until such time as Fenway can assure us she's no risk.'

------------

'Have you got any further with finding out how Linda was able to sense what the other infectees were going to do?' JT asked Fenway.

The whole team were in the control room for the last debriefing of the day – although the day was quickly turning into night.

'It must have something to do with the elevated theta waves,' Fenway told him. 'We know they're what enables the infectees to recognise and find each other and it's possible that the signal was distorted enough in Linda to have activated a more enhanced form of the tracking ability in her.'

'What about the four we just brought in?'

'We're moving them to another location tonight,' Cavennaugh said. 'We can't continue filling the detention cells here indefinitely and we can have access to them when we need it.'

'Lucas, anything on how the signal reached that TV in the store?'

'We found prints on the equipment but we haven't been able to match them to anybody yet. It would have been easy for anyone to switch the tape. The security footage shows someone fiddling with the VCR, but it was impossible to tell who it was.'

'Any idea where he went after leaving the store?'

'Not yet, he seems to have covered his tracks pretty well, but we're still looking.'

'In that case, I think that'll be all…' JT's voice trailed off as the lights flickered and went out, the emergency lights providing only a dim glow. 'What the hell?'

'There's been a security breach,' Cavennaugh spoke urgently as he received information on his headset. 'One of the new infectees got away from his security detail and released the other three. They haven't tried to leave the building yet, in fact it seems as though they're searching for something. I've got additional security on their way to watch your backs, they're bringing weapons for everyone – you should remain here unless you receive further instructions from myself.'

As soon as he was gone, Ramsey spoke up. 'Have you noticed, the lights always go out in a film when it gets to the part where the psychotic murderer is about to strike?'

'Don't be ridiculous,' Fenway told him coldly.

'It's part of the security program,' Molly informed them. 'There's always a possibility that someone would get into the building who didn't belong. Our security teams, and ourselves, know the building a lot better than someone coming here for the first time, having the main lights out is to make it harder for them to find their way around.'

Silence fell as they waited for further news which wasn't long in coming.

'It looks like they're heading for the medlab,' Cavennaugh's voice crackled over the radio. 'I've got teams covering all available routes to and from there. I'll keep you updated. Cavennaugh out.'

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Part three**

Linda was drowsing in the medlab when something startled her awake. Unable to sit up because of the restraints, she looked around wildly trying to figure out what was going on, then with a sinking heart she knew.

At the same moment, one of the men guarding her came over and began to undo the restraints while the second one stood back, his gun aimed at her.

'We've got orders to transfer you to another location temporarily,' he told her as he produced handcuffs. Before he could put them on her, the double doors at the far side of the lab burst open and four figures entered, firing guns as they came. The guard standing to the side of Linda went down immediately, then the firing stopped.

'Let her go and we'll think about letting you live,' one of the infectees said, advancing towards Linda and the guard.

'I suggest you put your guns down and you may get out of this unharmed,' the guard responded. 'In a few moments you'll be surrounded.'

'Shut up,' another one screeched. 'Hand her over now.' He fired his gun into the air and the security guard ducked down behind the bed, pulling a silent Linda with him.

Trying to block out the events unfolding around her, Linda's mind was frantically processing the revelation she had just had, knowing what the others wanted from her but also knowing that under no circumstances could she do as they wished. Confident she wouldn't be harmed, she stood and stepped away from the guard who tried to pull her back down to relative safety.

'I won't help you,' Linda told them coldly, standing her ground.

'You don't have any choice, the power is within you and cannot be denied,' the first one told her.

'I still have free will and I cannot let you continue. I will help them stop you,' Linda was firm in her resolve, a resolve that began to waver when he fired his gun again, hitting the guard who was still trying to protect her. Swiftly bending down and standing back up again, she kept the bed between herself and the intruders and backed away from them, towards the second set of doors in the lab. As she reached the doors, she began firing the gun she had just picked up, slowing down the pursuit just long enough to enable her to race out into the stairwell.

------------

Cavennaugh watched and listened at the door to the med lab, trying to understand what was going on and where everyone was positioned. As he was about to order the men in to take control, he heard Linda's last statement and waved the others out of the way to allow her room to get out before they entered. Unaware of the presence of anyone else, she struggled as Cavennaugh grabbed hold of her.

'It's Cavennaugh,' he hissed at her, trying to get her to calm down. 'This way.' Holding her arm securely, he steered her away from the med lab and up the flight of stairs to the next level where he hastily opened the first door he came to and pulled her inside with him. The short time he had spent listening to the proceedings in the lab had been enough to tell him that Linda was somehow the key to the plans of this group of infectees and he had to keep her away from them at all costs.

'Cavennaugh to all details,' he spoke rapidly into his radio. 'Close in on the med lab, take the prisoners down using whatever force necessary. They must not be allowed to leave that level.' He paused before speaking again, this time to Molly and JT in the control room. 'They're pinned down in the med lab I've got Linda with me on the next floor in one of the interview rooms. They went after her to help them with whatever it is they're up to. I'll let you know when everything's under control. Cavennaugh out.'

He turned back to Linda who was standing where he had left her. Her face was pale, her eyes full of pain and in a moment he was beside her, helping her sit down on the floor where she stood.

'What's wrong?' She appeared not to hear him, her eyes glued to the door. 'Linda?' Still no response. 'Linda,' he spoke sharply, shaking her arm and at last she looked at him.

'I can feel them, in here,' she tapped her forehead. 'They're injured but they won't give in. They're trying to follow us. They know where I am and they're coming.'

Swearing under his breath, Cavennaugh raced to the door and wrenched it open, realising the sounds of fighting were getting louder as the agents were being forced to retreat up the stairs.

'Ok, we have to get you further away,' he went to help Linda stand up, surprised when she resisted.

'They won't get here,' Linda whispered, her face buried in her hands. 'Three are dying and have stopped moving, the fourth is already dead.'

As she spoke, his radio crackled into life once more and reported the facts Linda had just supplied him with. Kneeling beside her, he pulled her hands away from her face, shocked at the expression of despair, hopelessness and agony he saw there. As he watched, the light in her eyes faded even further until her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

'Are they..?' He left the question hanging, knowing the answer even before she nodded wearily. Checking her pulse, he hastily issued further instructions, wrapping his jacket around her shoulders in an attempt to keep her warm.

'She's in shock,' Cavennaugh told Fenway briefly as he arrived at last, accompanied by Molly and JT. 'She seemed to be connected to the infectees and felt everything as they were dying, then she collapsed.'

'I need to get her to the med lab as quickly as possible,' Fenway snapped after checking Linda's reactions.

Cavennaugh nodded agreement, picking up the conscious but unresponsive Linda and moved swiftly to the stairs, picking his way carefully through the aftermath of the shoot out, his experienced eyes taking note that none of their own people seemed to be too badly injured.

-------------

'What's going on?' Molly asked anxiously as she was summoned to the med lab by a serious sounding Fenway.

'Her theta waves are off the chart,' Fenway told her, defeat in his voice. 'The alien DNA is rapidly taking control, she won't be human for much longer.'

'But you said there was almost no trace of it before,' Molly was puzzled, unwilling to believe what she was hearing.

'I can't explain it. Perhaps being linked so closely to the other infectees when they died may have triggered it.' Fenway swept the papers off the bench in frustration. 'I don't think I can take much more of this.'

'Can I talk to her?'

Fenway glanced at Molly and nodded, watching her make her way towards Linda before following her more slowly, keeping his distance.

'How are you feeling?' Molly asked.

'I don't have much time,' Linda told her, trying to catch her breath. Molly frowned and turned to look at Fenway who moved closer to check Linda's condition. 'What happened the other day changed me. It's something that should have happened to the others as well, but it hasn't worked yet. I could sense the others and when they were close enough, I could tell what they were thinking. They need me to help bring them all together, to make their plans work. They want to use me to communicate over longer distances. I won't let that happen, they can't use me like that. As long as I am alive, they'll keep coming after me. I'm sorry.' Linda's eyes slid closed and her breathing grew shallower.

'Aren't you going to do something?' Molly snapped at Fenway.

'There's nothing I can do,' Fenway sounded defeated. 'Her brain's shutting down.'

'But…'

'She knew what was happening to her. This is what she wanted,' Fenway told her. 'It's probably for the best, we could never have let her go after this, you know that as well as I do.'

Molly returned to the now deserted control room. Everyone else had already left and she found it helpful to look out of the window and run through the events of the day in her mind. It was always hardest when they lost innocent people, and that's what Linda had turned out to be. Brushing away the tears she had been unable to stop falling, she made her way to the door, switching the lights off as she went. Tomorrow was another day, her plan was needed now more than ever and she had to make sure she was there to implement it.

**THE END**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Threshold, it's characters or stories, I'm just responsible for the people and plots I made up myself._


End file.
